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Oct, 2022

Tip of the Week: Turning Off Focused Inbox

For Microsoft Outlook users, you’ll notice that there is a feature called Focused Inbox which groups together all of the important messages you receive while placing all of the less important ones in the Other inbox. If you don’t like this feature and want to change it, we have just the tip for you.

Turning Off Microsoft Outlook’s Focused Inbox

Today, we’re going to give three tips in one blog! We’re going to cover not one, not two, but three different ways you can turn off your Focused inbox.

On Your Desktop

First, open up your Outlook app from your desktop. Select the View tab from the ribbon at the top of the screen, then look for the option for Show Focused Inbox. You can click on this same button whether you want to enable it or disable it.

On Your Web-Based App

This option is a little more confusing, but still not terribly difficult. Open up your web browser, then navigate to the Outlook inbox from the web portal. You should see a gear-like icon at the top of the screen in the right corner. Click this Settings icon.

From here, you’ll see the slider for Focused Inbox. Click it to enable or disable your focused inbox.

On Your Mobile Device

Finally, let’s look at the mobile app. First, launch Outlook on your mobile device. Next, tap on your profile icon in the top left corner. You’ll see a menu open. Tap the gear icon for your Settings, then scroll to your Focused Inbox.

In the end, the feature works just about the same, no matter how you choose to enable or disable it. Just turn it on when you want it on or turn it off when you want it off.

That’s all there is to it! What are some other tips or tricks you want to see from us? Let us know and subscribe so you don’t miss out on them.

Oct, 2021

Tip of the Week: The Best Practices of Adding People to Emails

Whenever you go to send an email, you might glance at the CC and BCC fields and wonder what they are used for, or perhaps you are an avid user of both. Well, let’s take a look at what CC and BCC are supposed to be used for and whether or not you actually use them for their intended purpose.

Where Do CC and BCC Come From?

CC and BCC are remnants from when paper communication ruled the roost. CC stands for carbon copy, a practice in which a document was copied by layering a carbon sheet between two pieces of paper. Writing utensils would then put pressure on the top sheet of paper with the carbon beneath it applying pressure to the second, creating what is essentially a perfect copy of the message.

In the context of email, CC is sending a copy of a message to another recipient. BCC (or blind carbon copy), on the other hand, allows you to send a copy of a message without the recipients seeing others on the email chain.

When Should You Use CC and BCC?

At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be a major difference between CCing someone and sending a regular email, but there is a bigger one than you might think—especially in terms of proper manners and etiquette. The “To” field and the “CC” field have two different uses. “To” is the field you use to send an email to its main recipients. “CC” is meant to be used when the recipient isn’t directly involved with the conversation, but still wants to be kept in the loop. You can think of CCing someone on an email as providing them with a copy of the email for reference.

BCC is best used when you don’t want other recipients to see who the email was sent to. It’s useful for when you want to respect the privacy of those involved or if you have a long list of recipients that does not necessarily require a mail merge.

Hopefully, this will help you use your email more effectively as a communication tool.

We can help your business learn more about communication solutions and understand how the many technology services you use work toward improving your business. To learn more, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

Jan, 2018

Tip of the Week: 5 Handy Android Shortcuts

With business becoming more and more mobile, there is a greater need for the devices we use to offer features that allow the user to boost efficiency and avoid downtime. It just so happens that Android devices come with a few little-known ways to accomplish these goals. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over a few ways your phone can be used more efficiently.

Fast Snap
If there are two apps that you use frequently, and often need to switch between as reference, you’ll appreciate this feature. Pressing the overview key (the little square icon) will switch you between the two apps you used most recently. If you are on your device’s home screen, this action will pull up the application you were using last.

Fast Vibrate/Do Not Disturb
We’ve all been in a position where a sudden ringing of a phone would be frowned upon, a situation that’s extremely likely in a business setting. If you find yourself in such an occasion and you realize your phone is still at full volume, you can simply activate the screen and hold the volume down button. This will set the device to vibrate mode.

If vibrate is still too loud, pressing the volume down button once again after the phone has been set to vibrate will activate Do Not Disturb, saving you from having your phone go off at an inopportune time.

Notification Customization
If a particular app is interrupting your workday needlessly, you can tell your Android device under what circumstances that app can provide you with a notification. When the next notification pops up, press and hold the notification until you are offered the opportunity to dictate when the app can ping you through some additional settings.

Freeze Reboot
If you ever find yourself with an inexplicably locked-up and frozen device, you can force it to reboot with the Power and Volume Up buttons. Pressing both down simultaneously for anywhere from 10 to 15 seconds will cause your device to restart. If it doesn’t, that may be a sign that something more serious is happening, or that your phone simply needs a recharge.

Power Button Ends Call
If you’re like most business users, you’re busy from the beginning of the workday to the time you clock out. This is especially true if your work takes you out of the office. To save a few extra moments of time, there’s an easier way to hang up a call on your Android device. Instead of fumbling around to press the end call button on your touchscreen, the power button can be used to end the call.

In your settings, access Accessibility and engage the Power Button Ends Call setting. This enables you to end a call with a much easier gesture that you can successfully pull off without looking.

Dec, 2017

Tip of the Week: Saving a Windows Product Key to a Microsoft Account

To activate Windows 10, every user will need a product key. Every legitimate version of the software has one, but often times, users will need the product key later down the road, only to find that they’ve lost it or tossed it. For this week’s tip, we’ll describe a way to link your software’s product key to a Microsoft account so that you’ll never lose it again.

Step One: Get a Microsoft Account
In order to link your Windows 10 product key to your Microsoft account, you’ll have to have a Microsoft account. If you don’t have an account under the Microsoft umbrella (hotmail, live, outlook, etc.) and depend on another platform such as Google or Apple, have your IT administrator set up a Microsoft account for you. This way you can know you have an authorized account that is ready to go.

Step Two: Link the Product Key to Your Account
Now that you have a Microsoft account that is authorized by your organization’s IT administrator, you can log in and navigate to Settings in the Windows 10 Start Menu. Click on Update & Security, and then on Activation.

The Activation page will read “Windows is activated with a digital license”. If it doesn’t, you can stop because your product key doesn’t enable you to digitize your license and you won’t be able to link your Microsoft account with Windows 10. If this happens to you it is important that you keep your Windows 10 product key on file.

If you have a digital license, you then have to change your type of account to successfully link your Windows 10 product key to your Microsoft account. To do this, open Settings and then click on Accounts. You will then click on Your Info. Find the hyperlink on the page that reads “Sign in with a Microsoft account instead” and click on that.

You will then sign in using your Microsoft account using your username and password and click the Sign In button at the bottom of the screen. Enter your Windows password if it is different, otherwise click Next and it will ask you to Set up a PIN. If you don’t want to set up a PIN, you can click on the “Skip this step” hyperlink on the left side of the box.

Step Three: Verification
To check to see if this process has been successful, open your Settings, click on Update & Security, click on Activation, and you will see “Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft Account” under the Activation subheading in the main box under Windows.

To protect your software and yourself, knowing the best practices of software management is important. If you would like to know more great tips and tricks in Windows 10, visit our blog regularly.

Sep, 2017

Tip of the Week: Miss The Start Menu From Windows 8? Here’s How To Bring It Back

Remember how when Windows 8 came out, it had that slick tiled Start screen? If you are one of the people who miss that interface, you are in luck. While Windows 10 returned the nostalgia of the traditional Start menu, you can emulate the experience of Windows 8’s tiled screen relatively easily in Windows 10.

First thing’s first–open your Start menu and select the Settings icon. This is the gear-shaped one. Alternatively, you can simply use the Windows key and the I key for a keyboard shortcut. Next, you’ll want to navigate to Personalization > Start. You should see the option for Use Start full screen. Once you’ve turned on this setting, your Start menu should open into the full-screen mode.

While it doesn’t quite look exactly like its Windows 8 counterpart, it has some similar functionality built into it. You’ll see icons for all of the usual suspects, including apps that you use on a regular basis, and icons for opening up various menus. You’ll also be able to see your pinned tiles in an easy way. Another note is that this can actually make navigation a little bit easier if you are using Windows 10 on your tablet.

If you want to just use the normal Start menu and change the size of it without going full-size, you can do that as well. Just open your Start menu and click on the edge. You can click and drag your Start menu to suit your specific size needs. You’ll see more tiles depending on how large you make it.

Speaking of Windows 8, are you still using it for your business’s needs? If so, you should really consider upgrading to Windows 10. If your business is struggling to implement the latest and greatest software solutions, or you just want all of the best tips and tricks, reach out to NuTech Services at 810.230.9455.

Jun, 2017

Tip of the Week: Make Chrome Run Faster With These 3 Adjustments

If Google Chrome is your preferred web browser, then you might notice that, just like any other application, its performance may fluctuate. When you experience issues with Chrome, it’s important to keep in mind that you can take steps to remedy the problem.

Here are three ways that you can make Google Chrome work better.

Make Use of Chrome’s Task Manager
Much like your computer’s task manager, Chrome has a feature that allows you to view your computing resources and programs at a glance. With Chrome’s built-in task manager, you can see information on browser tabs and extensions, and how much processing power they are using up. This information can help you diagnose which tabs are slowing down your browser. To open it, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the browser and click More Tools. Next, select Task Manager. Or, if you want a more straightforward path, just use the shortcut Shift + Escape.

Once the window opens, you’ll see all of the tabs and extensions that are currently in use, along with statistics concerning just how much resources they are consuming. If you find the offending tab, you can select it and click End Process. If you use this method to end an extension or an open tab, it will stop functioning until you reload Chrome.

Take Advantage of Hardware Acceleration
Before digging too deep into this, we want to make sure that you’re aware that it’s not always recommended that you implement hardware acceleration for your browser, as it depends on how powerful your computer is. If you’re unfamiliar with hardware acceleration and want to know how it can improve your browsing experience, reach out to your IT department or contact NuTech Services.

Hardware acceleration works by moving some of the burden off of your PC’s CPU onto the GPU, which can potentially resolve some processing problems by placing the page-rendering burden on the CPU. For this setting, click on the three-dot menu and open Settings. Then go down to the bottom of the window and find Show Advanced Settings. Go down from here and find the System section. Select Use hardware acceleration when available and restart Chrome to activate it.

Reset Google Chrome
If you’re not sure if your efforts have actually led to a better performance from Google Chrome, you can try resetting the browser’s settings. To do so, go past hardware acceleration and you’ll see the option to Reset Settings. Confirm your choice. Keep in mind that Chrome might not reset things like bookmarks, browsing history, or saved passwords, but it will get rid of settings like your default start page, your new tab page, your pinned tabs, and your default search engine.

Does your business have problems making the most of its technology? For more great tips and tricks, reach out to us at 810.230.9455.

May, 2017

Tip of the Week: Follow These Steps to Prevent Telemarketers From Calling You

Here’s a common scenario: you’re relaxing at home with friends or family and all of a sudden, your cell phone starts ringing. You don’t recognize the number; in fact, your phone lists it as an out-of-state caller, so you don’t pick up. The call eventually ends and you’re back to relaxing. But then, your phone starts ringing again and it’s that same pesky solicitor trying to sell you on the virtues of auto loan refinancing or a free Caribbean vacation. Caller ID and voicemail have helped to curb the suffering over unwanted phone calls in the past, but what if you could just block a caller entirely?

Regardless of the phone you have, for this week’s tip, we can show you how to block telemarketers, scammers, and stalkers from ever contacting you again. Telemarketing is completely legal, so it won’t be going away anytime soon. Blocking callers is the quickest and easiest way to deal with this issue. If they call you once, you won’t ever have to deal with them again, after you’ve followed these steps:

Android Users
For Nougat and Marshmallow:

Go to the Phone app.
Navigate to All Calls.
Select Call from Undesired Contact.
Tap Block/Report Spam.
Then you will be asked if you would like to report the call as spam. Check the box, if you do wish to report it.

For Lollipop (Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, S6, Note 4 users):

Go to the Phone app and tap the Call Log.
Select the phone number you would like to block, then tap More.
Next, tap Add to Auto reject list and you’re all set!

iPhone Users
To block a number on your iPhone, first select the Phone app. Next:

Select Recents (at the bottom of the screen).
Find the number of the caller you wish to block and tap the i icon on the right-hand-side of the screen.
Here you will see the caller’s information, as well as different options for creating a new contact, etc. Scroll to the very bottom of this page and you’ll see the words, ‘Block This Caller.’
Once you’ve selected that, a message will pop up, asking you to confirm this decision. Tap Block Contact to make it official.

If you’re receiving unwanted text messages from a stranger, iOS 10 requires that you add this person or bot to your Contacts list first. To create a new contact from your Messages app, click on the phone number at the top of the screen and select Create New Contact. Then simply follow the steps listed above. If you haven’t upgraded to iOS 10 yet, look for the i icon in the upper-right corner of your text conversation and select it. Then tap Block This Caller > Block Contact.

There, now you’re ready to block like some of the best centers in NBA history. But also remember that, with great power comes great responsibility; while telemarketers won’t know if they’re on your block list, “friends” and family members you find annoying might eventually catch on. For more technology tips and tricks, reach out to NuTech Services at 810.230.9455.

Sep, 2016

Tip of the Week: 3 Expert-Level Search Tips to Help You Find Exactly What You’re Looking For

These days, being able to find the exact information you need online is a valuable skill. However, sometimes a website’s search capabilities aren’t robust enough to be of much use. For this week’s tip, we’ll show you how to combine a website search feature with your browser’s search tool so you can easily find exactly what you’re looking for.

To begin, let’s go over one of the most valuable tools for online searching, quotation marks. If you need to locate a specific phrase, then enter it into a search engine like Google Search and bookend the phrase with quotation marks. Google will then show you results meeting your criteria exactly, word for word, instead of giving you a bunch of random results pertaining to each individual word of the phrase (which would be the case if you didn’t use quotation marks).

While using a major search engine like Google Search to find what you’re looking for is one thing, using the search feature of an individual website is completely another. For example, not every website allows you to use quotation marks to narrow down a search within its pages.

If you run into this problem, try instead using the website’s search feature to look for one of the two keywords, like “email,” and then use your browser’s search function to search for a second keyword, “hosting.”

To access your browser’s search function, simply select Ctrl+F. A drop down menu will then appear where you can enter the second word you’re looking for. Next, hit Enter and the browser will automatically highlight every instance of the second word you’re looking for that’s located on the open webpage.

When these two searches combine, you’ll essentially be able to weed through all the irrelevant search results provided by the website and use your browser to find exactly what it is you’re looking for.

Another Way to Search: One way that you can skip having to use a website’s search tool altogether (and keep in mind that not every website offers a search tool) is to search the content of an individual website using Google Search.

To do this, type into the Google Search form “site:” followed by the website URL, minus the “http://” and the “www.” Following this entry, add what it is you’re searching for. So the form should read something like this:

site:website.com email hosting

Add Quotation Marks: To help narrow down your search even further, Google allows you to search individual websites this way and use quotation marks so you can find an exact phrase. For example, site:website.com “email hosting” will provide much more specific results than site:website.com email hosting.

Ultimately, utilizing Google this way may be more effective than combining the website search and your browser search as previously suggested. Although, you’ll still want to keep this double search tip in mind for when you do use a website’s search tool and find that it’s not working for you. Also, keep in mind that not every website makes its content available to Google Search; using a website’s search tool for a site like this will yield results that Google won’t.

If you’ve found this tip helpful, let us know in the comments and check back with NuTech Services’s blog every week for more great tips!